Mince pie dog

Last year, dog lovers were horrified by a Christmas advert by ASDA featuring a pug with the caption ‘That moment when… you taste your first mince pie’. As raisins and currants are highly toxic to dogs, that first mince pie might just be the last for any dog unfortunate enough to try one. The backlash that followed led to ASDA pulling back the advert, and actually did some good by raising awareness on the danger these foods pose to dogs.

Sadly, dogs being dogs, they didn’t all get the memo; that included American Bulldog cross Lagertha, from Liverpool. On Christmas day, when left unattended for just a few moments, she wolfed down a whole tray of mince pies.

Owner Kate Barrett, 45, said, “My husband Michael had been baking mince pies and had left them on a tray to cool. Somehow Lagertha managed to open the kitchen door and got her paws on them.”

Luckily for Lagertha, Kate was well aware of the fact mince pies are highly toxic to dogs, and acted quickly, immediately taking her dog to the PDSA Huyton Pet Hospital.

PDSA senior vet Matt Forshaw said, “We knew Lagertha had eaten a large quantity of mince pies, which contain raisins, currants and other fruit that is toxic to dogs. We induced vomiting to try and clear them from Lagertha’s system. We also gave her charcoal which may help to bind toxins before they are absorbed.”

Lagertha recovered quickly, but that was mostly down to the luck of having owners who, well aware of the harm raisins and currant could cause to their beloved pet, took action right away. Had treatment come too late, the toxins might have caused organ damage or even death if left untreated. It is a sad fact that many owners are not quite as savvy.

“Many owners are unaware of the dangers of certain human foods to pets,” Matt added. “At this time of year there may still be a lot of festive foods around in the home so it’s important to ensure that it’s kept out of paws reach. A simple mistake, due to lack of awareness, could actually mean the difference between life and death for your pet.”